The Most Important People in Town

by Sharon

The town wasn't a part of the tour. It was a last minute add-on. Big rain clouds prevented us from visiting Plitvice Lakes, Croatia's most popular tourist attraction. When we arrived, the hilltop town of Moscenice appeared well-kept but deserted. Located on Croatia's Istria peninsula, Moscenice is a maze of narrow cobblestoned passages, arches and stairways. We waited on benches in a small covered area near the main entrance of town.

I couldn't figure out what we were waiting for until the happy mayor arrived. All smiles and exorbitant hand gestures, the town mayor spoke fervently in Croatian. His enthusiasm was stunted as he had to wait between sentences for the English-speaking guide to translate. We were welcomed by the mayor who proceeded to wake-up the whole town to serve us.

On his cell phone, the mayor called the priest to open the previously-closed church. The baroque style church of St. Andrew was beautiful and much more elegant than expected for a small town with population: 325. Looking like he just crawled out of bed, the town priest gave us a tour of the church. At the end of his tour, the priest sold postcards featuring pictures of his church.

Next stop was the old olive grinding mill. On the way to the mill, we passed a closed souvenir store. The mayor quickly made a call on his cell phone. This time, a homely woman in her fifties wearing an apron over a floral dress appeared. The souvenir shop was open for business.

The old olive mill was tiny, dank, and dark. It was not an active mill but a piece of leftover history from the town. Our small tour group of seventeen filled the olive mill to capacity. Filled with bright-eyed enthusiasm and genuine hospitality, the guide offered us second and third samples of her honey and medicinal liqueurs.

Just as we were finishing up at the olive mill, I spied the mayor on his cell phone again. We were headed to the just opened ethnographic museum, where our group were the only visitors.

The last stop on our impromptu tour was the town's lookout offering a spectacular view over Kvarner Bay. No one needed to be called for this stunning attraction. The view of the bay and the surrounding tiny villages was serene. There was no need to dodge others to take our group pictures using the peaceful scenery as a backdrop.

In my travels, I have been herded around the Vatican, squished in line at Disneyland and swarmed around the Mona Lisa. At the busy sightseeing hotspots, I am just another tourist fare among the crowds. I had a completely different experience when I visited the little village of Moscenice, Croatia. There, my tour group and I felt like the most important people in town. The next day we were standing among the crowds waiting to enter Plitvice Lakes National Park.